The NBA world has descended on Las Vegas, braving record-setting heat in the desert for the USA Basketball into Summer League double feature. With the best players in the world going desert to desert, flying from Vegas to Abu Dhabi to continue their pre-Olympics exhibition slate, the focus stateside is on the youngsters and those fighting for roster spots.
Summer League basketball is not good, in an objective sense, as games can feature more turnovers than points, a ridiculous amount of fouling, and at times have the feel of a mediocre pickup run. However, at their best, Summer League games can be incredibly fun, as the chaos of hurriedly thrown together teams blends with some truly incredible talent that gets a chance to shine and make their names in Vegas. Rosters for Summer League are always fluid, as guys get added and dropped pretty regularly, and you always have the Too Good For Summer League All-Stars who will play a game or two for the fans and then shut it down.
As such, you can’t just lock in on a team because of one big name, as you might find that by the end of the first weekend they’re on the bench in street clothes. Here, I wanted to highlight a few Summer League teams that I’ll be keeping an eye on in Vegas for entertainment purposes. This will be my 11th Summer League and I’ve found the key to the most fun teams is often a mixture of good NBA prospects, guards that can play, a vet or two trying to stick on a roster, and, ideally, a former college legend who may not have a big future in the NBA but can still cook at this level.
Cleveland Cavaliers
I’ve got two words for you: DJ Burns. That’s right, THEBIGFELLA will be in Las Vegas with the defending Summer League champion Cavs after becoming America’s basketball sweetheart during NC State’s run at the NCAA Tournament. He’ll be joined by Emoni Bates (who will shoot), first round pick Jaylon Tyson out of Cal, former lottery pick Zhaire Smith, and Craig Porter Jr. (who was genuinely very good for the Cavs last year). Still, the main attraction here is Burns, who’s trimmed down some and is looking to show his tremendous skill set that made a fan out of Nikola Jokic.
Utah Jazz
The Jazz roster is just an absolute parade of Guys. You have this year’s rookie class with Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier, and Kyle Filipowski. You have former college hoops legends like Max Abmas and Armando Bacot. You have established NBA guys in Keyonte George and Walker Kessler. And you have everyone’s favorite floorbound bucket-getter Kenneth Lofton Jr. I’d be surprised if George and Kessler play too deep into Vegas, but even when they don’t play the Jazz have a very fun roster.
Washington Wizards
Washington is headlined by the No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr, but they have a ton of names that will be recognizable to fans of the Draft and the college game. Bub Carrington was also a favorite of many coming into this Draft and could be extremely fun at Summer League, and their third first round pick, Kyshawn George, will also factor heavily. Beyond the rookies, they have Markquis Nowell, Jared Butler, Johnny Davis, Justin Champagnie, and Patrick Baldwin Jr. all trying to prove they belong on a roster.
Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis has been in Utah warming up for Vegas, and Zach Edey has proven to be a serious problem for the often undersized Summer League competition. That figures to continue in Las Vegas, and GG Jackson could be one of the best players at Summer League coming off of his breakout year as a bright spot for the banged up Grizzlies a year ago. Add in Cam Spencer, who is a maniac (in a good way) on the court, and this Memphis squad is pretty fun.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets were the runners up last year and once again have some fun young names on the roster, most notably a backcourt that should let it fly from deep. No. 3 overall pick Reed Sheppard joins former first round picks Kira Lewis Jr. and AJ Griffin on the roster, while last year’s standout, Cam Whitmore, is back for another run in Vegas (albeit, it’s not clear if he’ll play the whole way). Even if Whitmore doesn’t play the entire tournament, this Houston team should look to rain in threes and that ought to make for some entertaining games.
Philadelphia 76ers
Another team that’s been out in Utah playing already, the Sixers are headlined by rookie Jared McCain who can absolutely light it up from three and should get plenty of reps as he figures to be in the regular season rotation this year in Philly. Add in Adem Bona, who is a very fun high energy big and you’ve got a good start. However, the Sixers also have one of the all-time Summer League Guys in RJ Hampton, who has been at it for years on the Vegas circuit and has one of the highest shot-per-minute rates of anyone I’ve ever seen at Summer League. I don’t know if that’s fun for everyone, but part of the charm of Summer League for me is guys deciding they are the star even when that is not the case — two years ago he was on the Magic and would at times ice out No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero. We love a good Summer League gunner. Also, the Sixers have Tony Bradley who got drafted in 2017 (!) and is still grinding to try and get on a roster. I respect the hell out of that.